UCAT ANZ ACCESS ARRANGEMENTS

What access arrangements are provided? 

UCATSEN and its two offshoots is the term used for the UCAT exam for students with specific learning difficulties or disabilities, such as dyslexia. Those with specific medical conditions or temporary injury are also entitled. In UCATSEN, you may be allowed extra time, rest breaks or accommodations according to your needs.  There are also provisions for those that require a separate room, access to provisions and a specific arrangement of the room setting. Unfortunately, there is no provision for students seeking a paper based exam, a computer reader, a scribe or unlimited rest breaks.

There are several types of UCATSEN which are assigned to candidates based off of their individual requirements, each giving the candidate different amounts of time for each section. The below information is correct for the 2022 sitting of the UCAT ANZ exam. Find our more information here.

How much extra time do I get in the access arrangements?

The short answer – it depends! Here is a short breakdown, we go into more detail later:

• UCATSA: Standard UCAT exam with additional rest breaks
• UCASEN: 25% extra time
• UCATSENSA: 25% extra time and additional rest breaks

UCAT – Standard exam timing:

UCATSA – Standard UCAT exam with rest breaks:

UCATSEN – 25% extra time:

UCATSENSA – 25% extra time and rest breaks:

Am I at a disadvantage sitting the access papers instead of UCAT?

The short answer is no!

Just like how getting extra time in exams at school doesn’t disadvantage you in any way with university applications, the UCATSEN will not affect the way universities see you. Medical schools won’t even know that you sat the UCATSEN, as it is the same exam as the UCAT, but with more time.

It is important that when applying to medical school, if asked, that you disclose if you have learning difficulties or disabilities, purely so that the university can make sure they are supporting you in your education as best they can. You will be surprised that it is estimated 10% of medical students have specific learning difficulties, with a proportion only being diagnosed while at medical school. Therefore, it is something not to worry about when applying to medical school, and something that should not put you off, especially when thinking about the UCAT entrance examination.  

Top tips for preparing for the UCATSEN:

Having helping students pass the UCAT with high scores for a number of years, we have come up with our top tips not just for the UCAT, but also for students sitting the UCATSEN. Do check out our resources for helping you pass the UCAT with a high score, as these will be especially beneficial to students with specific learning difficulties. 

Practice with correct timings

It may sound obvious but once you have found out exactly how much extra time you get in your exam (usually an additional 25%) make sure you are practicing with the use of that extra time. It will help you to get the best feel for the exam.

What are you really good at?

Many students with specific learning difficulties who will be sitting the UCATSEN are very good at other aspects that the UCAT tests, such as the abstract reasoning or quantitative reasoning, so don’t worry if you really struggle with the verbal reasoning section, as this is only ¼ of your score. You can use the other sections you are good at to increase your overall mark. 

Final Note on the UCATSEN

So that’s it! I hope you found this article useful on UCATSEN Timings. The next steps would be to do some UCATSEN Practice under timed conditions and apply all you have learned!

If you’re looking for some extra support, it might be worth checking out our UCAT Tutoring where we can pair you up with a UCATSEN Tutor i.e. a current Medical Student who sat the UCATSEN and can give you their own insight into their own UCAT! – Click here to find out more.

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